Northwest briefs

GRANTS PASS (AP) — Conservation groups are challenging U.S. Forest Service plans to log and thin outside Crater Lake National Park in an area that the groups want to see protected as wilderness.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Eugene by the groups Cascadia Wild and Oregon Wild.

They are asking a judge to stop the Loafer timber sale in an area east of Diamond Lake on the Umpqua National Forest.

The lawsuit argues that the Forest Service should more fully examine the project’s potential harm to protected species like northern spotted owls and red tree voles.

Shelter gets unusual food donations

SALEM (AP) — The back door at the Union Gospel Mission is a hub for food donations for such typical fare as canned green beans and bread, but it’s not unusual to see someone unload a whole elk, deer or even a bear.

The Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Division drops off animals they have put down after being hit by vehicles or ones confiscated from poachers. Hunters share their bounty with the downtown shelter, too. Ranchers, grocers and residents donate tamer offerings such as beef, lamb, turkey and llama.

Without the meat donations, it would be difficult to feed the roughly 200 people who stream through the meal lines three times a day, said spokesman Kyle Dickinson.